FOOD SCRAP DROP-OFF STARTS AGAIN AT THE EAST FOURTH STREET COMMUNITY GARDEN

 

The East Fourth Street Community Garden is partnering with Big Reuse again this year to collect food scraps and turn them into compost at Big Reuse's Salt Lot site in Gowanus.

 

Beginning this Saturday, April 2nd, you can drop off the types of food scraps listed below at the garden during these hours when it's open to the public:

 

• Wednesdays, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Saturdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Sundays, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  
  

Those hours are in effect from April 1st through October 31st.

WHAT TO BRING

• fruit and vegetable scraps
• coffee grounds, filters, and paper tea bags 
• bread and grains (nothing with oil!)
• egg and nut shells
• food-soiled paper towels or napkins
• shredded newspaper or brown paper

 WHAT NOT TO BRING

• meat or fish scraps
• cheese or dairy products  
• fats, grease, oil, oily foods 
• paper take out containers or produce trays
• bioplastics (compostable bags, compostable cutlery, compostable cups)

 

The garden follows the COVID-19 protocols established by the New York City Parks Department's GreenThumb program. New York City is currently at a low level of community spread, so face masks and social distancing aren't currently required in the garden, and there isn't a limit on how many people can be in the garden at the same time. These policies could change if the COVID-19 situation worsens.

 

Location

East Fourth Street Community Garden
171 E. 4th Street
between Fort Hamilton Parkway and Caton Avenue
Windsor Terrace - Kensington, Brooklyn, New York

https://www.facebook.com/groups/246036418909475 

https://eastfourthstreetgarden.tumblr.com/

RECYCLE ELECTRONICS AND TEXTILES AT "SPRING CLEAN & GREEN"

Spring Clean & Green

Sunday, April 3rd, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

 

Electronics recycling, textile recycling, and a seed giveaway are some of the features at State Assemblymember Robert Carroll's Spring Clean & Green event on Sunday, April 3rd, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at Bartel-Pritchard Square, next to the Greenmarket and across the street from Nitehawk Cinema.

 

Electronics recycling: Bring TVs, VCRs, DVD players, game consoles, computers, keyboards, monitors, printers, scanners, fax machines, tablets, and phones. Don't bring appliances, batteries, or light bulbs for recycling.

 

Textile recycling: Bring footwear, all clothing, accessories (such as hats, belts, backpacks, and bags), linens, bedding, towels, curtains, comforters, Halloween costumes, and throw rugs. Don't bring single shoes, hard suitcases, or room-size rugs.

 

Department of Sanitation: Information and giveaways for a cleaner and greener New York City.

 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Flower and vegetable seed giveaway.

 

Brooklyn Solarworks: Find out how to reduce your electric bills with renewable energy alternatives.

 

MTA New York City Transit: Bus and subway updates, maps, and information.

 

NYPD 72nd Precinct: Free bike etching.

"Bicycle Registration Program discourages theft of bicycles by engraving a serial number on the bike in a discreet location and affixing a decal to the bicycle identifying it as registered with the NYPD. If the decal fails to prevent theft, removal of the decal leaves behind the word 'void' which alerts police that the bicycle has been stolen. Police are then able to track down the owner through the engraved serial number."

Department of Environmental Protection: Sustainable giveaways and information for homeowners.

If you have any questions about the event, call Assemblymember Carroll's office at (718) 788-7221.

 

Location

Bartel-Pritchard Square 

Prospect Park West at 15th Street

Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

QUILT SHOW ON A FENCE (OUTDOORS, FREE)

Quilt Fence Show

Saturday, April 2nd, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Rain Date: Saturday, April 9th, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

"Recycle, Reuse, Re-imagine" is the Earth Day theme for the free Brooklyn Quilters Guild's Quilt Fence Show on Saturday, April 2nd, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The rain date is Saturday, April 9th, also from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

"The Quilt Challenge:
75% of the fabric in each quilt should be repurposed from things like clothing, bed and table linens, etc. Size: 36” x 36

In these quilts the Brooklyn Quilters Guild upcycles materials, making something creative and beautiful from a material that would have become waste."

Forty-five quilts will be on display on the iron fence surrounding Holy Name Church, starting at Prospect Park West and Windsor Place.

 

For more information, send an e-mail to Brooklyn Quilters Guild at guild@quiltbrooklyn.org.

Location

Holy Name Church

245 Prospect Park West

between Prospect Avenue and Windsor Place

Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

COMMUNITY BOARD 12 PUBLIC MEETING, BY COMPUTER AND PHONE

 

Community Board 12 Public Meeting

Tuesday, March 22nd, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

 

This month's Community Board 12 board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 22nd, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. It is open to the public, and it will be held by computer and phone.

If you have any concerns, questions, needs, problems, suggestions, or solutions that you'd like to talk to the community board about, raise them during the "Public Hearing" (item 4 on the agenda, formerly called "Public Session") for up to three minutes.

 

Register to speak at the public hearing by clicking on this link and filling out the form: https://forms.gle/Nw2HPqKcgPKAiT8c6. 

 

To attend on Zoom with a computer (PC or Mac), iPad, iPhone, or Android device, click this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83815666554.

To attend by with a wired or cordless phone, dial phone number 646-558-8656 and then enter the Webinar ID: 838 1566 6554. 

Public meetings of Community Board 12 are held on the fourth Tuesday of the month, from September through June, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. That schedule is subject to change.

Every neighborhood in New York City is represented by an all-volunteer community board that serves as the liaison between neighborhood residents and city agencies. Board members are appointed by the borough president.

 

If you'd like to serve on a committee without joining the board, contact Community Board 12's office at (718) 851-0800 or bk12@cb.nyc.gov. 

 

Community Board 12's committees are

•         Planning, Zoning Variances and City Map
•         Education, Library, Cultural Affairs
•         Sanitation & Environmental Protection
•         Fire, Safety & Police
•         Health & Social Services
•         Housing & Buildings
•         Legislation
•         Parks, Capital Projects & Site Selection
•         Transportation & Franchises
•         Youth & Community Development

 --------------------------------------------

Community Board 12

phone: (718) 851-0800
fax: (718) 851-4140
e-mail: bk12@cb.nyc.gov
https://twitter.com/BrooklynCB12

https://www.facebook.com/BkCB12

 

 

UKRAINE: THE DONATED CLOTHES AND BEDDING IN KENSINGTON NEED TO BE PACKED

 

 

Update: Facebook is glitching again. If the URL in the blog post doesn't work, go to Ukraine Support in Brooklyn - hosted by FJC at www.facebook.com/Brooklyn4Ukraine. There, you'll see a post for Organizing Clothing/Bedding for Incoming Refugees. Hopefully, that link will work.

 ---------------------------------------------------

During the donation drive for humanitarian aid for Ukraine, so much was donated that it's still being packed up!

On Wednesday, people are needed to sort the bags of clothes and bedding, pack them in clear plastic bins, label them, move large bags of clothes to one spot, and identify which clothes can be donated locally immediately and which will be saved for incoming Ukrainian refugees.

If you can donate clear plastic bins, that would be helpful.

Sign up for a Wednesday, March 23rd, shift from either 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at https://www.facebook.com/volunteer/signups/1164127484397046/?source_component=volunteering_event&source_surface=timeline.

If you don't use Facebook, e-mail Dina Garfinkel at dinagee@gmail.com.

Location

Flatbush Jewish Center

327 East 5th Street

corner of Church Avenue

Kensington, Brooklyn

GARDEN OPEN HOURS: EAST FOURTH STREET COMMUNITY GARDEN SPRING AND SUMMER SCHEDULE

 

 

The East Fourth Street Community Garden has announced its open hours for the spring and summer. From April 1st through October 31st, the garden will be open to the public from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sundays.  

 

The garden follows the COVID-19 protocols established by the New York City Parks Department's GreenThumb program. New York City is currently at a low level of community spread, so face masks and social distancing aren't currently required in the garden, and there isn't a limit on how many people can be in the garden at the same time. These policies could change if the COVID-19 situation worsens.

 

Location
East Fourth Street Community Garden
171 E. 4th Street
between Fort Hamilton Parkway and Caton Avenue
Windsor Terrace - Kensington, Brooklyn, New York

https://www.facebook.com/groups/246036418909475 

https://eastfourthstreetgarden.tumblr.com/

 

COMMUNITY PLANNING, HYBRID MEETINGS, AND PARTICIPATION ON COMMITTEES

 

 

Community Board 7 Executive Committee Remote Public Meeting

Wednesday, March 24th, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

 

The next meeting of the Community Board 7 (CB 7) Executive Committee will be held remotely on Thursday, March 24th, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Committee meetings are open to the public.

 

CB 7 represents Windsor Terrace, South Slope, Greenwood Heights, and Sunset Park. Every neighborhood in New York City is represented by an all-volunteer community board that serves as the liaison between neighborhood residents and city agencies.

 

The topics on the agenda are

 

1. Community planning
2. Hybrid meetings
   
3. Non-board members participation on committees

 

About item 2: at hybrid meetings, the public can attend in-person or remotely (online and by phone).

 

About item 3: members of the public are allowed to serve on a committee without being a member of the board.

 

To attend the meeting online or by phone, register at https://bit.ly/37pnn2B. After you register, you'll receive an e-mail that confirms your registration and gives you instructions about how to join the meeting from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android phone, or landline/wired phone.

Or you can watch the meeting on CB 7's YouTube channel at

www.youtube.com/channel/UCcAZ1cECSeZI8iNyQDKuX5Q.

---------------------------------------

Community Board 7
4201 4th Avenue (entrance on 43rd Street) (map)
Sunset Park, Brooklyn
phone: (718) 854-0003
fax: (718) 436-1142
bk07 @ cb.nyc.gov

http://www1.nyc.gov/site/brooklyncb7/index.page 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-Community-Board-7/195263140637225 

https://twitter.com/bkcb7 

https://www.instagram.com/brooklyncb7

FREE AND LOW-COST MUSIC AND CREATIVE WRITING LESSONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

 

 

An announcement from the 5pm Porch Music Program:

Free and low-cost music and creative writing lessons for young people!

 We are excited to announce that the 2022 5PM Porch Spring Youth Music Program begins this April 10^th.

Slots are limited: apply now!

This program is for musicians and writers ages 10 to 18. Students will participate in weekly rehearsals, writing workshops and lessons with professional musicians and writers. In addition, students will perform monthly concerts of original music in the Flatbush and Kensington communities alongside professional musicians from a variety of traditions. This program strives to continue the efforts of Roy Nathanson to bring music to the streets of Brooklyn and provide a high-quality, creative and diverse musical education for all students.

In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the program will take place primarily outdoors in Ditmas Park. Private lessons will take place on Sundays afternoons. Full group ensemble rehearsals will take place on Tuesdays evenings. Additional writing workshops will take place on weekday evenings and concerts will take place on weekend afternoons. The program will run until the end of June and resume late in the summer.

Thanks to support from the City of New York and generous donors including the Michael Tuch Foundation and New Music USA we can offer a sliding fee scale so that every young person can participate regardless of financial means! We will lend instruments to students who don’t have their own.

To apply, please fill out this Online Form before March 21st (or contact us directly by phone or email):  5pmporchconcerts@gmail.com    646-479-0599. 

This program is a partnership with the

 Jazz Passengers Music Projects, the Flatbush Development Corporation and Arts & Democracy.

Check out this video of Roy Nathanson’s “World of Fire” featuring students from the 2020 program and our recent newsstory on Fox news.

 

KEEP PUBLIC MEETINGS OPEN TO THE ENTIRE PUBLIC

 

Technology has made public meetings accessible to the entire public, but New York State's Open Meetings Law doesn't allow it.

 

When the current COVID-related State of Emergency expires on April 15th, public meetings will go back to being in-person only. 

 

You won't have a choice of attending remotely or in person. You won't be able to attend by computer, tablet, cell phone, or home phone. Meetings of community boards, the City Council, and all other state and city government departments, agencies, and public bodies will be in-person only.

 

Many people who are able to attend remotely aren't able to attend in person or have difficulty doing it, such as

• the sick, 
• the immunocompromised, 
• the disabled, 
• the hospitalized,
  
• parents and guardians who can't leave a child at home alone,
• people who can't or don't want to take public transportation but also can't afford to take a taxi, 
• people who are at work, 
• people who are out-of-town for work or pleasure, 
• and so on 
• and so on
• and so on.
  

 

The petition "Bring New York’s Open Meetings Law Into the 21st Century" asks for remote attendance to still be allowed when the State of Emergency ends. https://www.change.org/p/bring-new-york-s-open-meetings-law-into-the-21st-century

A bill in the State Senate and State Assembly would allow meetings to be either remote-only or a combination of in-person and remote: 

"Relates to videoconferencing at public meetings and requiring that the minutes of a public meeting at which videoconferencing is used reflect such fact and the extent of such participation."

Senate Bill S7261 is posted at https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s7261, and Assembly Bill A8155 is at https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a8155. They were introduced in June 2021 and July 2021, respectively.

GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION IN WINDSOR TERRACE AT BEN BAY REALTY CO. AT THE SLOPE

 

Grand Opening Celebration

 Ben Bay Realty Co. at The Slope

Sunday, March 20th, 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 

An announcement from Ben Bay Realty Co. at The Slope:

Join us for the Grand Opening of Ben Bay Realty Co. at The Slope. Meet The Slope team for coffee, juice and bagels! (Available for first 150 people.) 

 

Date: Sunday, March 20th 

Time: 10:30am- 4pm 

 

ENTER TO WIN RAFFLE PRIZES!! Be sure to swing by to support the Ben Bay Cares program in which we give back to the community. With funds raised from the raffles, The Slope team will purchase and donate a water bottle filling station to St. Joseph The Worker Catholic Academy! This new water fountain supports efforts to promote reusable water bottles and reduce waste. GO GREEN WITH #TeamGreen 

 

To purchase raffles in advance, visit us at 473 16th St. in Windsor Terrace or purchase day of the event.

 

Location

Ben Bay Realty Co. at The Slope

473 16th Street

between Prospect Park West and 10th Avenue

Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

benbaybc@gmail.com 

https://www.facebook.com/benbayrealty/ 

https://www.instagram.com/benbayattheslope/ 

 

Christine Olivieri

Licensed Real Estate Agent 

(917) 443-3460

LGBTQIA+ KIDS HAVE A FREE SUPPORT GROUP IN KENSINGTON

 

 

The Rainbow Connection
Sunday, March 20th, 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The Rainbow Connection, a free monthly support group in Kensington, is a safe space for LGBTQIA+ and questioning kids to meet up and socialize.

 

The group is for LGBTQIA+ and questioning kids ages six and up. Kids who are ages six and up are welcome to attend with a parent or caregiver; kids who are ages eight and up can be dropped off. The group is open to young people up to age eighteen.

This Sunday, March 20th, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., the group will make postcards to send to Florida in support of its LGBTQIA+ population and in opposition to the state's "Don't Say Gay" bill.

Craft materials and games will be available.

The group is child-led. It's facilitated by two adults: the Craft Salon's owner and LGBTQIA+ ally, Dari Litchman, and one queer person. 

 

It's a support group, not a therapy or counseling group.

 
Advance registration is required because the group is limited to ten kids. Go to https://thecraftsalonstudio.com/register, click on "Camp/Workshops," and scroll down to "Rainbow Connection."

 

Wearing a face mask is optional.

 
Location
338 E. 5th Street, Suite #2B
just south of Church Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11218
(917) 324-8290
dari@thecraftsalonstudio.com
https://thecraftsalonstudio.com
https://www.facebook.com/Thecraftsalonstudio 

https://www.instagram.com/thecraftsalon

 

UKRAINE: PLAY DRAG BINGO AND RAISE FUNDS TO AID TRANS UKRAINIANS

 

Drag Bingo

Thursday, March 17th, 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Play Drag Bingo with Cissy Walken, "New York’s Loudest Drag Queen and host of Dragbox TV," and aid trans people in Ukraine.

 

Drag Bingo is free to play, and you'll have a chance to win free drinks. 

 

A raffle and other donation opportunities will raise funds to support Cohort, an organization that's providing aid to trans people in Ukraine who are being impacted by the war. Sycamore will match the funds raised for Cohort. 

 

Cohort is an NGO of transgender people of Ukraine, registered with the Ministry of Justice on June 30, 2020. It assists trans people in Ukraine with food, shelter, relocation, and border crossings. 

Russian-language website: https://cohort.com.ua/

 

The event is co-sponsored by RUSA LGBTQ+ - Russian-speaking American LGBTQ Association, formed in 2008.

Russian-language website: https://rusalgbt.com/

English-language website: https://rusalgbt-com.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RUSA.LGBT/

 

Location

Sycamore Bar

1118 Cortelyou Road
between E. 11th Street and Argyle Road
Ditmas Park, Brooklyn
(347) 240-5850
sycamorebrooklyn@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/Sycamorebrooklyn/ 

http://www.sycamorebrooklyn.com/ 

https://twitter.com/SycamoreBklyn 

 

FREE STORE: A ONE-DAY, POP-UP COMMUNITY FREE STORE

 

Community Free Store
Sunday, March 20th, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Give what you can and take what you need at the one-day, pop-up Community Free Store on Sunday, March 20th, at Avenue C Plaza, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Donations will be accepted until about 1:00 p.m.

If you can donate clean and gently-used summer clothing, diapers, feminine hygiene and other toiletries, toys, household essentials, etc., bring them to the Plaza during the event. 

 

All donated items will be available at no cost to anyone who needs them.

The event is sponsored by Kensington/Windsor Terrace Mutual Aid (https://www.kwtmutualaid.com).

Location
Avenue C Plaza

556 McDonald Avenue
at the intersection of Avenue C (map)
Kensington, Brooklyn

KENSINGTON'S COPS WILL MEET WITH THE PUBLIC REMOTELY TONIGHT

 

Kensington Public Safety Meeting
Wednesday, March 16th, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The Neighborhood Coordination Officers (NCOs) for the 66th Precinct's Sector D (Kensington) will meet with residents at a public safety meeting remotely tonight, Wednesday, March 16th, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Kensington's NCOs are Police Officer Viviane Perrone (phone: (917) 863-5169, e-mail: viviane.perrone@nypd.org) and Police Officer Karol Smiarowski (phone: (917) 826-6569, e-mail: karol.smiarowski@nypd.org. 

 

The precinct posted the Zoom link today on Twitter:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88413487921?pwd=YXJRbmNkcmk0bjRYZEgxTXpjQ0F2dz09 

Meeting ID: 884 1348 7921 

Passcode: 651482

 

At the Build The Block neighborhood policing and safety meeting, the officers will update residents about public safety issues in the neighborhood. They'll answer your questions and listen to your concerns about assaults and robberies on the street, home burglaries, packages stolen from porches and lobbies, street safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, and any other issues that are on your mind.

 

NYPD precincts are divided into sectors as part of the policing model known as "community policing." The same officers work in the same neighborhoods on the same shifts. The radio dispatchers, supervisors, and sector officers work together. Sector officers and sector cars stay within the boundaries of their assigned sectors, except in precinct-wide emergencies.

 

The 66th Precinct's four sectors are Sector A or Adam, Sector B or Boy, Sector C or Charlie, and Sector D or David. The boundaries of Sector D are Fort Hamilton Parkway and Caton Avenue to the north, Coney Island Avenue to the east, 18th Avenue and Avenue F to the south, and McDonald Avenue and 37th Street to the west.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

66th Precinct
phone: (718) 851-5611
5822 16th Avenue
between 58th and 59th streets
Borough Park, Brooklyn
e-mail: 66precinctcc@gmail.com
website: http://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/66th-precinct.page
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NYPD66pct

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NYPD66Pct or @66precinctcc

ALBEMARLE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION ONLINE AND CALL-IN PUBLIC MEETING SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 2022

 

Albemarle Neighborhood Association Meeting
Wednesday, March 30th, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

 

Update: A Neighborhood Coordination Officer ("beat cops") who covers Kensington (66th Precinct, Sector D) has been confirmed as a guest speaker. Tentatively, representatives from the offices of New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif and State Assemblymember Robert Carroll will update participants about events in their domains that affect this community.

-------------------------------------------

 

The Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) will hold its next public meeting for all Kensington residents and business owners on Wednesday, March 30th, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can participate with a computer (PC or Mac), iPad, iPhone, Android device, or landline/wired phone. 

 

Meetings are open to everyone, not only ANA members.

 

Tentatively, the guest speakers will be the Neighborhood Coordination Officers ("beat cops") who cover Kensington (66th Precinct, Sector D) and a representative from the office of New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif. 

 

Regardless of who the speakers are at any particular meeting, issues affecting the community are always brought up by attendees and addressed by ANA, either immediately or after the meeting.

 

To join the meeting on Zoom from a computer (PC or Mac), iPad, iPhone, or Android device, go to https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89243202556?pwd=cDQ3WFg1ajM1b2FpU3hoS3I0emtMQT09. 

Meeting ID: 892 4320 2556

Passcode: 133206

One tap mobile: +16465588656 (New York)

To participate by landline/wired phone with audio only, press 1 (646) 558-8656. Then press the Meeting ID: 892 4320 2556. Finally, press the Passcode: 133206.

 

About Albemarle Neighborhood Association

Albemarle Neighborhood Association (ANA) is the oldest neighborhood association in Brooklyn. Since its founding in 1973, it has worked to advance Kensington's quality of life. ANA's meetings are free and are open to the public. They provide a place for Kensington's residents to address safety, security, and quality of life issues.

ANA helps create a safe and stable neighborhood by working closely with its members, other neighborhood residents, city agencies, and elected officials to address key issues.

The borders of the geographic area that ANA serves are

• north: north side of Caton Avenue
• south: south side of Beverley Road
• west: west side of McDonald Avenue 
• east: east side of Ocean Parkway

 

ANA has a page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Albemarle-Neighborhood-Association-of-Brooklyn-ANA-103114548271927/?ref=page_internal.